Missing Home
by Persephone Oswald Oleesen
Summary: Pokemon Platinum. Random drabble about the Lake Acuity scene. Up to this point he had considered all of this a race. It was all a game to him. No one had ever gotten hurt before. Slight FemPlayerXRival, if you squint.


A random scene from Pokemon Platinum. It's the scene where, after winning at the Snowpoint Gym, you go to Lake Acuity and witness Galactic Commander Jupiter harassing your rival after he loses to her. Short and sappy, but maybe not the only addition to my Pokemon drabble. We'll see. Okay, then. If you guys are ready, on with the story!! (Not DX)

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates, trademarks or characters. I only own my copy of the game, and the names I blessed my character and rival with. Oh, and I own any Pokemon nicknames that may show up in Jaimee's party during this (not) story.

~Missing Home~

* * *

Trudging though the snow, tugging at my scarf, nearly numb from the cold, I almost didn't hear the words.

"You're not getting away with this, Team Galactic!"

My head snapped up. There by the water's edge stood Miles and an older woman with a head of bright purple hair. I recognized the woman as Jupiter, the same Team Galactic commander whom I had battled with back in Eterna city. Smirking, she withdrew her Skuntank, and with a sinking heart I realized she must have been victorious. "Oh? Are you finished already? Your Pokemon aren't bad, but you're laughably weak. You honestly thought you could save the Pokemon of the lake? And become the Pokemon Champion? Dream on, little kid."

I watched as Miles' form seemed to shrink underneath every insult she threw at him. Her demeanor grew more and more confident as she hung him out to dry, and I could do nothing but watch. Every defensive word or phrase I came up with was run into the ground as I watched him stare at the snowy ground. I began to think of my own failure at Lake Valor, and Lucas' at Lake Verity. We had also failed to save the Pokemon of their respective lakes, and even though I had won against both Mars and Saturn I felt like the war had been lost. The Pokemon had been taken.

Team Galactic had won.

"… Back to the Veilstone HQ," Jupiter spat, her voice cutting through my thoughts. I looked up to see her smirking at a pokeball fisted in her hand, one that possibly contained the captured Uxie. She was slowly moving away from Miles, milking her victory for all it was worth. Noticing me for the first time she stopped, her string of insults halted for the moment. "Oh!" After some contemplation, she asked, "Don't I know you? We met in Eterna City, if memory serves me right." Without waiting for a response she continued, wagging a finger in my face. "Listen, O.K.? Team Galactic is going to do something huge for everyone's sake. That's why you and—" She jerked a finger toward Miles, who was still turned away from us—"should keep out of Team Galactic's way. Don't come whining about poor Pokemon and other trivial junk like that. Don't waste your time coming to our headquarters in Veilstone. Kids like you two aren't allowed, no matter how sickeningly cute you are." She pinched my cheek with a smirk before continuing. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

With another grin, Jupiter pushed past me and disappeared into the blizzard. While I wanted to follow her and exact my revenge, I found myself moving forward, toward my hyperactive blonde friend who was being uncharacteristically quiet at the moment. I touched his shoulder, and he turned to me, eyes unreadable. After a moment he jerked away from me, folding his arms and blocking me out. Once again, I could do nothing but watch.

"Yeah, that's right!" He yelled, voice an octave higher than his tenor as he looked around at anything, _everything_, but me. "I couldn't do anything against Team Galactic!" I could see his eyes glisten as he turned away from me back toward the lake. His voice shook as he continued. "That Pokemon called Uxie… It was suffering…"

As if by memory I heard its terrified cries as it was forced into a Pokeball against its will. I also heard the screams of Azelf and Mesprit as they too were harnessed for Team Galactic's foul plans, and suddenly I found that I was shaking. The cold seeped inside my jacket, through my skin, into my very bones, and with a trembling hand I reached out to Miles. He turned to me and I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his shoulder. Startled, he stumbled a few paces before regaining his footing, and slowly he returned my embrace.

I shook with tears that threatened to overwhelm me, and I heard him sniff once or twice as he held me. I felt odd, offering comfort and seeking it for myself from Miles, because he had always kept me at arms' length. Even when we were younger, he always fought off my childish hugs, finding them sappy and embarrassing. Now, as we stood in the center of a snowstorm on the edge of a frigid lake, he clung to me as I him, seeking warmth and reassurance. Up to this point he had considered all of this a game. Training Pokemon, gathering Gym badges, defeating challengers along the way, it was all a race. "Whoever gets there first is the best" and whatnot. It had all been innocent before.

No one had gotten hurt before.

"I'm going to get tougher," he mumbled, his voice muffled against my scarf as he held me. I snuggled my face into his collar, my stomach doing flip-flops as he pulled me closer. The feeling was foreign, but I enjoyed our proximity while it lasted, knowing that it would probably be a long while before Miles opened up to me like this again.

Before he would hug me again.

"It's not about winning or losing," he continued, his nose cold against my neck. "… That's not good enough. I have to be stronger. It's not enough to just want to be the most powerful Trainer ever. It takes honest effort… And a determined heart. Like yours, Jaimee." To my dismay he pulled away, a small smile in place as he looked at me. He gently squeezed my shoulders once, then dropped his arms and turned away. I watched him go, feeling trapped between my happiness at his sudden change in demeanor and my disappointment because he had let me go so quickly. I could have stood there forever, watching his poof of blond hair disappear into the night if my chills had not caught up with me. I called out Charizard and asked him to whisk me away because, all of a sudden, I was missing home.

* * *

Heh heh, well, that was random. I've been playing Pokemon Platinum nearly nonstop for the last couple of days and I've decided that, even though the series has made gigantic steps towards pulling the individual player _into_ the experience, I wanted more. So, I'm developing a sort of back story to Platinum, with actual human feelings mixed in. If I post any more of my random scenes, the main character (a girl) will have speaking parts. And the dialogue in Platinum will remain relatively similar. If you're interested, there may be a rival/player/Rowan's assistant (or, in my case, Miles/Jaimee/Lucas) triangle. Tell me how this tidbit was, please.


End file.
